Changes to migrant worker protections welcome, but…

Better protection for migrant
workers including those who speak out against abuse is
greatly needed, but will be put at risk by parallel changes
to the Employment Relations Act that would undermine other
work rights, FIRST Union says.

Immigration Minister
Michael Woodhouse told TVNZ’s Q+A programme this morning
that the government will soon be introducing amendments to
immigration law to increase sanctions against employers who
break the law, and which will seek to offer better
protection to migrants speaking out.

Dennis Maga,
coordinator of UNEMIG, FIRST Union’s network for migrant
workers said that Immigration New Zealand needs to be able
to exercise greater compassion to migrant workers who are
willing to expose the bad practices of their employers but
who fear for their ability to remain in New Zealand.

“Migrant workers will need the protection of an
open visa that allows them to find alternative work while
their case is heard when their employment is shown to be
exploitative,” he said.

Dennis Maga said that
stronger penalties against bad employers were a good start,
but more attention was also required at the point of
accreditation.

“Employers getting Approval in
Principle to recruit workers from overseas are not being
effectively monitored to ensure they meet their
obligations,” he said.

“Enforcement is also
short of the mark, and a commitment to increase the number
of labour inspectors and conduct random checks in areas
where exploitation of migrants is likely to happen or has
been reported by the community is needed,” he
said.

FIRST Union General Secretary Robert Reid
said proposed changes also before Parliament to the
Employment Relations Act that would see greater exploitation
of all workers including migrant
workers.

“Proposed changes to the ERA will enable
employers to employ migrant workers on inferior conditions
to those enjoyed by existing workers on a Collective
Agreement. The proposed changes will also remove the
requirement for strict adherence to meal and rest breaks and
will enable employers to walk away from collective
bargaining, both of which will open the door to further
exploitation of migrant workers.”

“These
proposals together with the recent employment law change
that allows workers to be sacked without good cause or
redress in their first 90 days of employment will not give
migrant workers the confident to speak out,“ said Robert
Reid.

FIRST Union is New Zealand's second-largest private sector trade union.

Formed in 2011 after the merger between the National Distribution Union and Finsec, FIRST Union represents 27,000 workers in the Finance, Industrial (Textile and Wood), Retail, Stores, Transport and Logistics sectors.

FIRST Union is also affiliated to the New Zealand Council of Trade Unions and runs several networks including the Union Network of Migrants, the Runanga, Fono and Womens' Committee. In 2015 FIRST Union launched Samoa First Union, Samoa's only private sector union.

Join FIRST Union today for higher pay, better conditions and more say at work.

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